ESPE Abstracts

Background: Childhood adrenocortical tumours (ACT) are rare and have well been described as part of familial cancer susceptibility syndromes which are caused by single gene mutations including P53, MEN1, PRKAR1A, CTNNB1 and APC. Adenomas are the most common ACT, but adrenocortical carcinomas (ACC) occur as well. Childhood ACC can be part of the Li-Fraumeni Syndrome and Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome. ACC can also occur in familial adenomatous polyposis coli (FAP). FAP is a colon ...

Introduction: The Androgen Receptor (AR) is a steroid hormone receptor. Upon activation by its potent ligand, 5-alpha-dihydrotestosterone (DHT), it regulates the expression of target genes leading to the development of the outer male genitalia. Mutations in the AR gene are associated with Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome (AIS), characterized by the presence of testes and varying degrees of undervirilization of the external genitalia. Since many individ...

Background: Individuals born with a 45,X/46,XY karyotype can present with diverging phenotypes from normal male, Turner-like to ambiguous genitalia, the latter classically being called mixed gonadal dysgenesis. No correlation between phenotype and degree of mosaicisms in the karyotype could be ascertained so far, making clinical management of these patients difficult.Objective: To understand, if androgen action through the androgen receptor (AR) is compr...

Introduction: Androgen insensitivity syndrome (AIS) is a 46,XY difference of sex development (DSD) classically caused by mutations in the X-chromosomal androgen receptor (AR) gene. Nevertheless, in over 50% of individuals with clinical AIS no AR coding gene mutation can be found. We previously established an assay (apolipoprotein D (APOD) assay) that measures androgen dependent AR-activity in genital skin fibroblasts (GFs). Using this assay we identified a gro...